Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians (18 page)

“You
did what you could to save them. They won’t be the last to leave blood on your
hands, Ary. Though I wish I could say otherwise. Truly, I do.” Reaching out one
clawed hand, he lifted her cloak and carefully draped it across her shoulders.
She clasped it against her collar bone and looked up at him without saying a
word. “What weighs on you the most? The boy or the burnings?”

“My
feelings about the boy are complicated,” she confessed. “I feel as if I should
be more bothered by what I’ve done. He was under order by the clergy. The
things he was forced to do were… well, they were awful. At some point this
became so customary to him that he began to find enjoyment in the acts
themselves, beyond just the rewards bestowed upon him.”

Turning
away from him, she shut the empty trunk. “I have no regret in killing him. Just
some regret over his making. If not for the Magistrate and the Church, I never
would’ve had to kill him. How many more are like him in this world?” she asked
to the world and not Reign, for it was a question without answer. Lifting the
heavy case, she carried it over to the side of the room and set it down. No
point in leaving it in the way of the others when it was empty, she figured,
though she thought she might like to keep it for herself.

Reign
sat, watching her sort through cases while she spoke. “In two days, you’ve
killed one, and watched two die in a very close, personal experience. You were
quite nearly killed yourself.”

Aryaunna’d
begun a stack of cases which consisted of swords, another of bows-she hadn’t
found the arrows, and one of daggers. Stopping, case in hand she stared at him
with the beginnings of a scowl. “I have no need nor want to be coddled.”

“Good.
Then I shall continue on.” She set the case down on top of the bow stack.
“There will come a time when days such as these will be missed for their ease.
I understand your conflict. It is much like the conflict I feel for you.”

She
stopped before lifting the lid of another case. “It is both my privilege and
curse to prepare you in every way that I am able for the life you’re to lead.
Others will call you Emissary. What you mean to my kind is something much
greater.” He stood, and began to walk closer to her. “I am to love you, and yet
each time I send you from this mountain, I send you to a life of pain and
death.”

Upon
reaching her, he sat once more so that his body would be lower to the ground,
closer to her height. “It is a conflict I will never understand, nor quell
within me. Yet I am powerless to change what shall forever be.”

“You
could always come with me.” She smiled as she flipped the lid of the crate
back, feeling satisfied to finally find one filled with arrows. She made a note
to grab a bow and a full quiver before leaving. She’d never shot one, but
wanted to learn.

“If
only it were so easy.”

She
stopped before lifting the case. “Reign…” she turned to look at him, leaning
back against one of the stacks. “What happened to your wings?” Feeling almost
guilty for asking, she looked down away from him. Instinctively his large
shoulders rolled back, tucking his wings back behind him. “Please?” she asked
quietly.

He
looked down, not in shame but in thought. “Not here. Not this room of war. Walk
with me to the cove.” Righting herself to follow, he stopped her with a nod of
his head to the case of arrows. “Best bring them with you.” Surprise washed
over her face. “I don’t have to read your thoughts to read your eyes.”

Amused,
she turned and lifted one of the stacked quivers and retrieved a bow before
returning to his side. Not saying a word, she held her arm out for him to take
the lead.

His
body turned slowly, careful not to knock over cases or Aryaunna as he
maneuvered around. “It was a long time ago,” he started. Hanging the bow back
behind her by a long thick strap, she hung the quiver with it as she walked
alongside him.

Turning
his head to look at her, the Dragon heaved a deep sigh while they walked.
“What’s wrong?” Aryaunna’s brow furrowed as she looked into his large blue
eyes. He was magnificent for his beauty and size both. What seemed more
incredible to her was how much emotion could show in his face, even in his
eyes. Just then they showed worry, anguish, concern.

“I
don’t know how you’re going to react to my story,” he confessed, looking away.

“Only
one way to find out.”

A
reasonable answer, he thought. “It was a century ago.”

Aryaunna
found herself wondering what the world had been like so many years ago. Were
things very different? Was it peaceful? Harder? “How old are you?”

He
seemed thoughtful, letting out a long ‘hmm’ as he recollected the years. “I
came into this life many centuries ago. Before Dia had turned opaque. My breath
helped create her.” Aryaunna was in awe, marveling at the idea. A soft chuckle
rumbled from his scaled lips to see her reaction.

“Will
you tell me what it was like sometime? What the world was like before my time?”

“I
would tell you all of my stories if you cared to listen.”

“I
would love it so.” A happy smile washed over her. It was a rare sight indeed.
Though Reign had not known her long, he somehow knew this.

As
the way grew steep, Aryaunna held an arm against his neck to steady herself.
His scales were smooth and hard under her touch, like warm glass or heated
river stones. “A century ago the wars were beginning. A being called man had
come to strength, though he was the first intelligent creature to exist without
magic. Man was jealous and had grown angry that they could not possess such
power as others such as the Dragon, Faye, and undalings-the magical creatures
of this world which have no voice. Sita is an undaling, relative to the unicorn
actually. Though unicorn dwell an ocean beyond this land.”

As
Aryaunna listened to his resonating voice, she looked over the vast cavern as
it opened up before her. Luciola lit the caves and reflected off the water of
the grotto. “Many Dragons were taking to the skies for sanctuary, making the
heavens their home. They became the Guardians. Dragons were hunted for the
first time in our existence.

“Man
had learned that some of our power could be obtained through different parts of
our body, scales, bones, claws. Since the existence of man they had been
obsessed with obtaining magic for themselves. Those who could not possess it
sought to destroy it.”

Reaching
the grotto, Aryaunna stopped by the water’s edge. Cupping her hand, she drank
from the pure water. Reign continued his story as he fished for their dinner,
“When a Dragon is killed they are reborn of magic, while their spirits join the
Guardians above.

“My
kin had lived in this region for ages upon ages, long before my time. Even
before time was counted. Kenan was little more than mud and rock, and the great
stone Church that is now was not even a thought in the minds of men.” He
stopped as he caught a large fish, and ate. He slurped the great arapaima down
his throat whole.

“Faye
and man had created new generations of descended. This is where your bloodline
comes from, just as many others do, such as the Pagans and Druids. There was a
man in a young village, not yet named for Kenan.”

Catching
another fish, this one he roasted with his breath aflame for Aryaunna. Using
one of her newfound blades, she ate as he continued. “He’d taken the lives of
many Faye and Undalings for their gifts, and perverted the magic into something
dark and unnatural. For everything he gained, his hunger for more grew ever
deeper. It mutated him.

“He’d
amassed a following, promising young warriors more power. A promise he only
kept at his whim, mind you. It was with this band of men that he came to Dia.
Armed with a montage of stolen power, he murdered my kin one by one.” Having
forgotten her task of eating, Aryaunna sat entranced in the sorrow that was his
tale.

“To
this day I don’t know why he didn’t kill me. In taking my wings, he took my
freedom. The spell that he used destroyed my wings. They withered away until
nothing but bone remained, and I was left like this…” His chest broadened as he
reared back. Arching his neck back, his wings expanded to their full length.
Devastating beauty. They looked so fragile, slim, though his bone was stronger
than any steel.

Standing,
she walked closer to him. Her hand reached out and touched the remnants of his
wing gently. “Is it painful?” she asked in a mere whisper. Her eyes watered, though
she blinked the sadness away.

“Not
physically,” he assured her. Wrapping his wings out around her, he cast a bone
cage around her. They flexed in ways that didn’t seem physically possible. But
he was Dragon. What to a Dragon is an impossibility? “This is why I stay at
Dia. A Dragon who cannot fly is a Dragon at great risk. I am the last of my
kind, but there is still a great deal left for me in this world.”

Her
heart ached for the tragedy of his story. She knew the pain of loss well.
Laying her head against his chest, her arms hugged against his torso as if she
were trying to hug a great tree. “Why did you worry about telling me?” she
asked after a moment of thought. His story was sad. She cared for her friend,
and so his pain was hers. Something was missing though.

Looking
up to him she felt like a small child as he looked down upon her. “Because the
man who killed my brethren, and left me stricken, is the same man you call
Magistrate.”

Closing
her eyes, Aryaunna rest her forehead against his chest. “You’ve given me new
sight, Reign.” His chin nudged her head, asking her silently to explain. “No
matter how different we all are, our pain makes us one in the same.” Her short
time with the Drow had brought her to question how she would bridge the gap between
the many different people affected by the darkness the Church had spread.

She’d
seen the Pagans, Druids, Drow, and people of Kenan all as individual nations
she had to treat as such. It was wrong though. No matter how many different
villages, and how many different races, they were not separate. They were one
in the same.

Gently,
his chin nudged against her hair, nestling against her. A lifetime of pain had
burdened his heart, yet now there was more. There was hope.

“Ary!”
Elizabeth yelled. Lifting the hems of her skirts she ran towards Sita who kept
at a steady pace. “Where have you been, you’ve been gone for three days!” Then
suddenly Elizabeth truly saw her sister. “Ary… wow,” she breathed. “If it
wasn’t for Sita I hadn’t of even known it was you.” Elizabeth brought her hand
around Sita’s neck, stroking her affectionately as she stared up at her sister.

“Ary,
looks like your visit with Reign has been an eventful one,” Allos commented as
he came up behind Elizabeth. Surprising her, Elizabeth flushed upon seeing him
unexpectedly.

Aryaunna
caught the warmth that spread through her sister’s cheeks and fought back the
tug of her lips. “Indeed. In more ways than one.” Rounding her right leg over
the horse’s back, she jumped to her feet with growing ease. She was getting
used to it finally.

“Elizabeth,”
Aryaunna greeted her sister with a hug. Though she was pleased to see her
sister, Elizabeth was stiff as she returned the hug. Of course she wasn’t used
to hugging someone with a bow and quiver slung over their back. It was awkward.
“I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” Aryaunna looked from her sister to Allos.

“No
apology is needed,” Allos reassured.

“Sister,
will you please see that Sita gets cared for. She’s had a long few days as
well, and I must speak to Allos.” Her eyes cant to Allos from her sister. This
conversation would not be on a relaxed air of friendship.

“Of
course.” Elizabeth looked anxious. Seeing her sister dressed in such a way
wasn’t the only thing that bothered her. There was something in Aryaunna’s
eyes. She was changing so rapidly, and all that Elizabeth could do was sit by
and watch it happen. “Come, Sita. I know where they keep the molasses in the
kitchen now, and I’ve stowed a jar just for you.” As if understanding
perfectly, Sita’s head bobbed as she kept in step with Elizabeth.

“She
doesn’t seem to like the change,” Aryaunna remarked after Elizabeth was out of
hearing difference.

“Change
frightens a lot of people. You’re her little sister, and life is calling you to
arms. You’re embarking on a journey beyond her control. Not to mention the
dress and weapons are just a bit daunting.” His brow arched as he looked over
her black attire and the impressive array of weapons. Gaze settling on the bow
he smirked. “Do you even know how to use that?”

“Of
course not. Which is why you’re going to teach me.” He chuckled to her smug
smile as they began walking. “How is the Owl Maiden? I regret leaving before I
could see that she was well.”

Allos
was paying careful attention to Aryaunna’s stride as they walked. “She’s well.
Anxious to see you. We were both more concerned about you, but quite obviously
that was unnecessary.”

“I
told you it wasn’t serious. Just a nick of the blade was all.” Aryaunna smiled
to a group of children playing in the fresh blanket of snow covering the
ground. They squealed and laughed as they played together. “Has she said
anything?” Aryaunna glanced at Allos with bated breath.

“No.
Nothing about the prophecies. She’s insisted on waiting for you, though she
seems very content with the people here, and they her.”

“Good.”
It was the last thing they said as they walked into the shaman’s home. As an
elder and the Drow’s primary healer, Mayla’s home was not only her home, but
her place of work and a place of sanctuary for many that had no home to claim.
“Mayla,” Aryaunna held a slight smile though she was genuinely pleased to see
her.

“Hello,
my dear.”

Korena
was lazy to look up from her work, thoroughly occupied with her duties of
mixing herbs. When she saw Aryaunna she dropped everything though, leaving the
mortar and pestle where it lay. “You’re back!” she exclaimed excitedly as she
ran to Aryaunna. Though twice Aryaunna’s age in mortal years, she was certainly
youthful in her nature. Latching herself to Aryaunna tightly she hugged her
close, unbothered for the bulk of weaponry that distanced them now.

Aryaunna
hugged her tight. “Of course I’m back. Can’t stay away from home for long now,
can I?” Korena smiled to hear her say it, though seemed to realize at the same
time that she’d surprised Mayla and Allos both by her excitement. Stepping
hastily back she smiled and looked completely relieved to see that Aryaunna had
returned.

“I
like it,” she said decisively. Her head tilted as she looked Aryaunna over closely.
“It suits you. And they fit much better.” Aryaunna needed no explanation while
the others took a moment to understand that Korena meant the new clothes.

“Aye,
I like them, too.” The two smiled at one another as if they were sharing in a
secret.

“Aryaunna,
the maiden sleeps, but she should wake soon,” Mayla advised as she came up
behind her.

“This
late?” Aryaunna questioned with some surprise.

Allos
tried not to grin as he explained, “She’s an Owl Maiden. Owls prefer the night,
you know.”

Aryaunna
just shook her head, feeling dull that she needed it spelled out for her. “Of
course. Well then, I’ll return at nightfall. There’s plenty for me to do in the
meantime.”

“Actually,
I’d like to have a look at your leg. Allos mentioned you’d been hurt.” Mayla
had practically cornered her.

“Reign
took care of it actually. I’m perfectly fine.” To prove it she leaned down and
slapped the area of her leg that had been injured. There was barely even a scar
after Reign had healed it. The pain was completely gone. “See?”

Mayla
looked disbelieving and surprised all at the same time. Allos backed Aryaunna’s
defense, “She walks without favoring it, Mayla. Believe me, as much as it bled
if she weren’t healed, we’d know.” Aryaunna gave a nod of agreement.

“Very
well then. As long as you’re all right,” she said with an accepting smile. “Be
back at dusk. She’ll be glad to know you’ve returned, as are all of us.”

Aryaunna
made swift her departure with Allos behind her. “Have I missed anything in my
absence?”

“We’ve
been careful to keep everyone in the Hollow. After what took place at the
Church we didn’t want to risk our people outside of the shield.” It was easy to
forget the magic barrier that hid the Hollow from outsiders. Aryaunna spared a
thought to wonder what they’d done with Derric when they’d found him-If they’d
somehow limited his sight or not, expecting him not to survive the night. “Some
grow restless, but word will spread that you’ve returned. It will ease their
worries, I think.”

“Hmm,”
she pondered. “Let’s ease their spirits completely and give them something to
occupy them.”

Allos
looked properly intrigued. A young woman walking along one of the shoveled
paths called to Aryaunna and waved excitedly. Aryaunna called back to her in
greeting. “They certainly love you,” Allos remarked with a satisfied smile.
“Well? What are you thinking?”

“A
celebration. It’s winter, people are tired of the cold, of spending more times
indoors than they like. Stress has been high, clearly. We’ve saved the Owl Maiden.
She’s lost her companions. We can hold a celebration to honor their lives. Has
she spoken of them, mentioned who they were?”

“That’s
an excellent idea. There’s a few people here who usually care for such things.
I’ll let them know. I’m certain they’ll be anxious to get things underway. And
all she’s said of them was that they were kind people who took her in. I cannot
be certain, but I don’t think she knew them well.” People lie. It was a fact.
It was possible she knew them better, but Allos didn’t believe she had a reason
to hide a relationship with the two that had died. “She did say they were
married, but had no children that she knew of.”

“It’s
a sad day when one is grateful for such a thing,” Aryaunna commented under her
breath.

“Indeed
it is.” His hand touched to her arm briefly to bring her to a stop as he turned
away. “Neva!” he called to a woman carrying a load of tinder in a large basket.
Walking away to help her, Aryaunna stood in wait as they spoke.

Gaze
drifting over the Hollow she took in the small village with some wonder. Snow
floated through the air slowly, as if it couldn’t decide if it were to fall or
not. There were people about, preparing for their evenings. Many waved, and all
gave her a smile, glad to see her return as Mayla and Allos had implied.

She
spoke to Veyn in passing, who seemed pleased to tell her the saddle he was
making for Sita was nearly complete. He also said she looked different, but
made no other comment to it, negative or otherwise.

Though
her attire had changed, Aryaunna felt different as well. Every day she felt as
if the girl she’d been just a time before was becoming more of a stranger.
However odd it was, she was glad for it.

Allos
returned looking pleased. Neva had agreed that a celebration was just what everyone
needed, and assured him that she’d keep them in the loop about the progress and
timeframe. Aryaunna told Allos all about the supplies showing up at Dia as he
took her to the wood to use the bow for the first time. Her lesson went as
expected.

It
was much like Aryaunna’s first time holding a sword. She was a bumbling mess,
got hurt a few times, and looked a fool. Within the hour she was hitting
targets, if not dead center yet. “You’re a natural,” he said with no surprise.

“I
wouldn’t say a natural,” she scoffed. Rubbing her left arm, she rotated her
wrist to ease its tension.

“You’ve
never shot a bow before? Not a recurve or a long bow, nothing right?” he
inquired as he gathered up the arrows, returning them to the quiver.

“Not
once. Closest I ever got was using a sling shot to throw spoons at the mice in
the kitchen.” Allos chuckled. She rolled her shoulder forward and back. Her arm
was stiff from holding the bow rigidly for so long.

“You’ll
be an archer before you know it,” he assured her.

“I
prefer the swords, but it’s a good skill to have when a sword won’t make the
distance.”

“Indeed,”
he agreed. “Care to put those swords to the test? It’s been a few days since
we’ve sparred. Don’t need you getting lazy after a few days with Reign.” He roared
laughter at seeing her sour reaction.

“Lazy?”
A strange ‘pfft’ scoff muttered from her lips as she pushed her cloak behind
her shoulders and the hood of the cloak back, though the cowl remained up.

Usually
they fought in the arena. It was a safe zone where they didn’t have to worry
about other people getting caught in the crossfire. The climate was always
steady and cool where no wind could bother them. It was an unrealistic setting
for a fight, though made for good training by limiting distractions. Today,
however, Aryaunna didn’t want controlled.

Hands
placed over the hilts of each sword, she drew them smoothly. She looked at him
expectantly. A slow grin spread his lips as he set down the quiver. Drawing his
own blades, he swung them down at his ready.

Off-hand
forward, strong arm held back. He lectured with every strike and parry. Allos
was always offensive in their spars though his natural style was defensive
attack. She’d seen this first hand while watching him fight with others. “Keep
that left arm tight to your body!” he warned. She had an obstinate habit of
keeping her arm out for the block.

He
stepped in close. His off-hand sword forced hers up and back, locking it with
the cross guard as his front-hand forced her right sword down. “If it had been
close to your body, you’d have me gutted now instead of being pinned,” he
lectured. “What now, Ary?” A malevolent grin spread his lips as he stepped
forward, forcing her to step back or fall flat.

With
his weight and focus on his right hand, she let his momentum slide against her
blade as she brought the hilt up and bounced it against his chin. Allos’ jaw
clacked shut. When they hit, they always hit hard enough to feel it but never
enough for real damage. Allos grunted as he backed off. “That was new. Reign
teach you that?” To better his grip he spun the swords back and adjusted.

“We
haven’t fought yet. He did teach me something though.” Her right sword swung
from the earth up, hilt out to her left side. His blade clashed off of hers at
the same time their secondaries collided.